Orkut Scrap Toys

Readings

I found this a very interesting article about our perceptions of people:
THE SITUATION
In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.
About 4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.
At 6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
At 10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.
At 45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.
After 1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theatre in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.
This experiment raised several questions:
*In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?
*If so, do we stop to appreciate it?
*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made . . ..
How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?

Readings About Giftedness

This is a very interesting article about gifted children in our schools and offers tips for parents - Gifted Kids

Another site about measuring giftedness - How Smart is My Child?

Resources

The Idea Locker

This site has some fabulous inventions made by young people and is great for getting "ideas" from or for finding needs or realising opportunities for contexts for studying.

Idea Locker

DVice TV

Another site with inventions and 'real' technology. Great for future focus and ideas for kids to explore.

DVice TV

Bad Science!

You are 80% less likely to die from a meteor landing on your head if you wear a bicycle helmet!

Every Bad Science column published since 2003 is archived here, and the new ones get posted every week, along with anything else I write. It’s searchable and you can make comments. A REALLY FUN SITE!
Bad Science

Periodic Table

This is a fabulous way to learn about the periodic table. Each element has a video that goes with it that explains the element. Periodic Table

Coolest Inventions 2003 and above

From Time Magazine

This site shows inventions through the years up until 2005 (search through the site). Looking at the 2003 inventions, for instance, gives an insight into what has already been developed since then and which inventions stated in 2003 have still not come into fruition as yet.

Inventions from Time Magazine

Future For All

This website has technological predictions for the future and looks at sustainable energy, smarthouses, future cars,etc.

Future Thinking

Creative Thinking

A fantastic site showing ideas kids and others have come up with. Truly inspiring.

Look What I Made

Writers

A site for our writers to become involved in workshops online. Looks extremely exciting:
Writers Wordshops

Other Interesting Articles

What Kind of Parent Are You?

Kiwi Inventors

Kiwi

Fakebook

This is a fantastic site where you can make a fake facebook site under a made up name, eg. if you are conducting a study on Abraham Lincoln, you can make a facebook page that won't be a real one.
Fakebook

Future Thinking